


How to Analyze People

by DJClawson



Series: Theodore Nelson's Adventures in Sharing a Workspace [33]
Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gay Stereotyping, M/M, Theater - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:20:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23333752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJClawson/pseuds/DJClawson
Summary: Relationships can have a bit of a learning curve, but Matt's always been a good student.
Relationships: Franklin "Foggy" Nelson/Marci Stahl, Matt Murdock/Theo Nelson
Series: Theodore Nelson's Adventures in Sharing a Workspace [33]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1202407
Comments: 19
Kudos: 48





	How to Analyze People

**Author's Note:**

> All hail the mighty beta, LachesisMeg. All hail.
> 
> Filling promp from Anon: "Anyway if u take prompts can you do a chapter that focuses on Theo and Matt as a couple. Like I just want them to do couple things: dates, affection, idk whatever, give Matt a chance to be a decent boyfriend."

Theo had a pretty standard birthday celebration routine. His parents took him out to a restaurant of his choice, usually a trendy vegan place with items on the menu they didn’t regard as food and they didn’t say a damn word, and when Foggy came he brought a balloon and snuck in better alcohol. Not super exciting, but that was your birthday when you were adult. On a different night, Theo went to the bar where they gave out free shots on birthdays and got fabulously - and on a few occasions, black-out - drunk and woke up preferably in his own bed, but not always. 

Last year, his parents were in Florida for the first time, and he and Matt were still sort of on the down low, so Foggy and Marci took him out (at, Theo presumed, Marci’s expense more than Foggy’s) and Marci proved much gamer about the vegan pop-up restaurant scene, and that was that, because Theo had to open shop the next day. It didn’t set up Theo for any major expectations the following year - hell, he hadn’t expected to still be seeing Matt the following year. That was really something. 

Theo’s expectations were low when Matt mentioned them going out with everybody - meaning Foggy, Marci, and Karen, since her being seen in public with Frank was still a complicated issue - ahead of time. “I got you something, but your birthday is on a Tuesday, so it has to wait.”

“Can we not have sex on Tuesdays? Is this a Lent thing?”

“It isn’t sex,” Matt said. “I mean, not just sex.”

“Now I’m curious.”

“Too bad it isn’t your birthday.”

Since Matt could be an inscrutable fucker, Theo had to wait. He didn’t want to make too much of it, but this was his first birthday with a serious boyfriend - one that he had known for more than a few weeks. Ward had broken up with him a month before. 

Matt didn’t give him any hints. It wasn’t until they were actually at the restaurant, waiting for a table, that Foggy burst out with, “I know what he got you and I’m very confused.”

“Foggy!” Karen said, because Marci was having a drink and clearly did not care. “Don’t ruin it.”

“I just have  _ questions _ , Karen.”

“It’s not that confusing,” Matt said, having returned from taking what Theo hoped was a business call on his phone outside, but having heard them anyway. “It’s Phantom tickets.”

Theo gasped. “You  _ motherfucker _ . Have you been spying on me?!? How have you been spying on me, you said you can’t read screens - “

“It’s the musical you listen to most often,” Matt said, which made perfect sense, now that Theo thought about it. 

“Oh my G-d, that was my favorite musical in junior high,” Marci admitted. “I saw it twice. Even though the plot doesn’t make sense. And it’s crazy rapey. I didn’t care. I didn’t even realize it because I was a kid.”

“I didn’t think it was rapey,” Karen said while Theo was hiding his face in embarrassment. “I mean, yeah, he’s creepy - “

“He basically hypnotizes Christine and takes her down to his cave and then later she wakes up there. And then he tries to guilt her into staying because he gave her music lessons and he’s going to murder her boyfriend. G-d, why did I love this musical so much?” Marci stared at him. “Why do you like this musical so much?”

“I just like it!” Theo finally admitted. 

“I didn’t even know you liked musicals,” Foggy said. “And I went to theater camp!”

“Yeah, and that’s the reason everyone thought you would end up being the gay one,” Theo said unapologetically. “The rest of us were trying to not give off any hints! So yes, I fucking love musicals. And I didn’t tell anyone. And I didn’t go to theater camp because I didn’t ask in the first place. And also because I can’t sing to save my life. I’m not  _ musical _ . I just like them.”

“I’ve got news for you,” Marci said. “Most people are not Broadway-level singers and never will be, no matter often they sing in the shower.”

“It’s not just in the shower,” was Foggy’s odd defense of that. “And people who are not currently planning on marrying me have attested that my voice is just fine, thank you very much. Matt? Karen?” The two of them decided to find their menus very interesting. “Nice. And on the day of my brother’s birthday. Nice, guys. Real nice.”

  
  


Matt had gotten tickets for Sunday night. He’d even scheduled around Theo’s plans to go to Long Island, the considerate fucker. Theo was so happy, he didn’t even care if they got an understudy. He didn’t look up the current cast. He hadn’t been to Broadway proper in years. Shit, was the last show Hamilton? Probably. Fuckin’ prices.

After work on Saturday he made the long trip out to Andy and Jo’s, since he would be working the day of his goddaughter’s first birthday party. He brought the raw materials for dinner with him, but only after Jo insisted that he not lift a finger to make dinner when he got there. 

“If it wasn’t for spaghetti and meatballs, Oli would definitely be a vegetarian by now,” Joe admitted about her oldest daughter.

“That’s not such a bad thing.”

“Mom, I wanna show him the dollhouse!” Olivia chose that particular moment to pull on his arm. 

“They didn’t break it yet,” Andy said proudly.

“Dad said Barbie and Ken can’t live in the same room, so Ken has to live with Colin’s dinosaurs,” Ruth announced. “They have their own room!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll come see what you’ve you done to my beautiful project,” Theo said and set Mary down in her playpen. This time, he swore, she actually seemed to recognize him. 

The kids all had later bedtimes than he remembered, and they argued for half an hour about which movie to show him (as if he had never seen a movie before and they had exclusive access to streaming services) before Jo made the executive decision for Finding Dory. Theo spent the evening on the couch, nursing a drink and pretending he had never seen it before while Mary wandered back and forth between her pile of toys and his seat, giving him toy after toy without a word, even the new stuffed moose he gave her that day. She wasn’t a big talker, but she was certainly very generous with her toys - and getting to be a pretty good walker.

When the kids finally went to bed - or at least their rooms - Theo and Andy escaped to the garage to drink the cheap beers that reminded them of sneaking stuff behind their parent’s backs, and because there was a policy against drinking from big cans of beer in front of the kids. 

“Shit, Olivia’s almost twelve,” Andy said. “I need to either start counting the cans or locking this stuff up.”

“C’mon. Girls don’t drink beer.”

“It’s a new age. And she had sex ed this year.  _ Sex ed _ ! Oh my G-d, I can’t do this. I could barely handle being a dad of  _ little _ kids.”

“You’ve gotten really good at it. And I know Foggy and Marci would love to be godparents.” Theo frowned. “I actually don’t know if Jews do the godparent thing. But Marci would do it.”

“They’re gonna have to look somewhere else,” Andy said. “I got snipped.”

Even though he really had no idea what went into it, Theo flinched. “Jo made you do that? She didn’t get her tubes tied?”

“Cheaper and more easily reversible. She did the research. And it was a mutual decision, trust me. I’ve got four colleges educations to pay for! You’re lucky you haven’t knocked anybody anyone up yet.”

“It hasn’t stopped me from trying.”

“Okay, I walked into that one.” Andy crushed another beer can. “How’re things with you?”

“Good. Got dinner on Marci’s expense card for my birthday. And Matt and I are going to a show.”

“What show?”

“Phantom.”

“I didn’t know Matt liked musicals.”

“ _ I _ like musicals,” Theo clarified. “Matt noticed. He has good ears.”

“I thought Foggy was the musical one.”

“Foggy is the one who thinks he can sing,” Theo said. “I’m not that delusional.” 

“Maybe you can take the kids to a show. You know, if you win the lottery or something. They’re not getting real cultured all the way out here.”

“Right, like we were going to Broadway left and right. We didn’t even  _ try _ for the RENT ticket lottery. I thought a lot about it, never had the courage.”

It dawned on Andy, “Because we would have called you gay.”

“Yeah, couldn’t really take that chance.”

“Aw, fuck.” Andy put a hand on his shoulder. “How can I make it up to you?”

“Give me another beer,” Theo said, “and we’ll call it even.”

On the way to the Sunday night show - which Theo knew people didn’t dress up for anymore, but he did anyway, but stopped short of a jacket and tie - he and Matt walked through Times Square and Theo paused at a corner. “Hey. There’s a Daredevil.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Matt said. “There’s always fewer of them than the Avengers. That’s what I get for not saving the world multiple times in full daylight.”

“His costume’s really good.”

“Which one?”

“The red one. He got the horns right. I think.” Theo had never actually seen the costume in person. Matt clearly didn’t have it anymore. 

“Are the curled like real horns or straight?”

“Straight.”

“That’s a good costume. People usually get that wrong.” Matt tilted his head. “And it’s real latex. Not leather. The costume didn’t have leather.” He squeezed Theo’s guiding arm. “Let’s get a picture with him.”

“Do you think we should?”

“It might make a great alibi,” Matt said with his insufferably adorable grin. “Daredevil! You work for tips, right?”

After the show, Theo loved it so much he got it framed. 

The End


End file.
